Aljoscha Blau is one of the most renowned illustrators in German-speaking countries. He was born in 1972 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), USSR. Since earning his degree in illustration and graphic arts from HAW (Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany), Blau has worked as an illustrator and author for German and international publishers. He has been honoured with numerous international awards, such as the German Design Award, the Bologna Ragazzi Award, Prix Figure Future, Troisdorfer Bilderbuchpreis (Troisdof City Illustrated Book Award), and the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Award), and nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Blau teaches and conducts illustration and drawing workshops at various art academies in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy and France. He currently lives in Berlin.